Author: Aisha Id

This is Aisha here from Karachi, Pakistan. Born and brought in U.A.E. After spending 18 years of my life in U.A.E, I had to move here for my higher education. Currently I am a student of BS Psychology at Institute of Professional Psychology.
During my spare time I usually like to read, do craftwork, do photography, research and write. For the past one and a half year I was doing research based writing jobs for various companies. And now here I'm, all set to dedicate this blog to my writings. I love to write about technology, health, science and ofcourse, writing short stories is my favorite past time.
Other than writing, I also run a small souvenirs business and you could have a look at my page on this link https://www.facebook.com/butterflies.786.

I hope you are all doing well. I haven’t written anything on the blog lately due to my hectic masters program and job. The remaining time is either spent with my family and friends or in marketing on social networks.

In February 2018 I self-published the book Reflections From Life: A Muslim’s Guide To Inspiration. Several people in Pakistan asked me if I can make it available here and yes I could but the shipment charges and the duty were increasing the cost price of the book so eventually I did some research and came up with the most suitable solution. Alhamdulilah the book is getting republished in Pakistan.

My eyes open wide as the morning breeze whispers into my ear, ‘Wake up and enjoy the fruit of your patience today for Allah has made this day a gift for its believers after a tough examination.’

The melodious sound of the Fajr Adhaan sounds even more beautiful today. As I sit down to make Dua after the prayer, the fragrance of the mehndi on my hands fills me with more excitement. I can feel coolness in the air today. Like there is peace there is calm. Today is one day when people have no grudges against each other. The long lost relations make an effort to meet today. The busy friends make a move and send you Eid wishes. And the whole family is together to celebrate this beautiful religious occasion.

The yummilicious taste of the Sheer Khorma followed by the other delicious feasts for breakfast makes me crave…

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Another year and another Ramadan is already here. I am sure most of us must have entered Ramadan once again expecting to fix their bad habits, get rid of their past sins and to start anew. If you are a practising Muslim then you must be striving hard to become a better Muslim each day and you might even be struggling to get rid of some of your bad habits.

I bring to you some steps through which you will be able to reprogram your subconscious mind to become a better Muslim this Ramadan.

Many of you might already be aware of the 3 parts of our mind but in case you are not let me just brief you. Our mind is divided into conscious, subconscious and the unconscious. The conscious part lives in the now, what you are hearing, communicating right now. The subconscious mind stores the recent memories, incidents and is in touch with the unconscious mind. The unconscious mind stores the memories and past experiences. The subconscious mind occupies the majority of your mind and your habitual actions that happen on a daily basis is controlled by the subconscious part of your mind.

Know that the song lyrics we are exposed to, the movie scenes and dialogues we focus on and the people we hang out with all have an impact on our subconscious mind which in turn dictates our actions and thoughts on a daily basis. I could go on talking about how the subconscious mind is impacted through our surroundings but that would mean deviating from the real purpose of this article. Hence I am about to list down 4 techniques that will help you reprogram your subconscious mind to become a better Muslim.

Refrain From Listening To Music

Firstly, start off with deleting songs from your gadgets. The lyrics of the songs highly affect your subconscious mind and may even be a distraction for you from your daily Ibadah. Most of the songs these days are filled with vulgar lyrics that may impact on your daily activities if it gets stored as an information in your subconscious mind. I once heard from someone that you cannot expect the verses of Qur’an and lyrics of a song to stay together in your mind and I totally agree to that. You must have also realized it that on days when you are constantly listening to songs you have difficulty in concentration during your Salah and even listening to Qur’an doesn’t seems interesting. That is because your heart has given place to the lyrics of the songs that you listen to.

So in the start you will probably find it difficult but once you replace listening to songs with Qur’an recitation and nasheeds (without music), after a week or so it will become easier for you to not listen to songs.

Get Rid Of Any Material That Symbolizes A Celebrity

The celebrities that we follow are usually not keen followers of Islam and they do things that are most of the times against the teachings of Islam. So following such people can program your subconscious mind to subconsciously act like them. So tune your mind into following people who teach Deen, find inspirational people who are studying Deen who give Dawah, these are the people who will help you reach Jannah.

Set ‘Good Muslim’ Goals

The reason I have only elaborated two points above is because they are common among us Muslims but there will be more things that we do on a daily basis that inhibit our subconscious mind from becoming a good Muslim. So take this as an assignment or homework, sit in a quiet place and reflect upon your current week and try to find out things that may be inhibiting you from become a better Muslim. Make a list of them and then set ‘good Muslim’ goals.

Visualize The Goals

Before sleeping each night and then when you wake up for suhoor visualize your ‘good Muslim’ goals that you will do during the day. Visualization will help to train your subconscious mind into thinking that this is how you should act and behave and that will make it easier for you to attain your good Muslim goals.

Lastly, keep making Du’a so that Allah helps you in attaining your goals for this Dunya and Aakhirah. Insha Allah with determination and persistence you will be able to strive as a better Muslim each day.

I’m so excited to be bringing you the second book review in two months, alhamdulillah! Today I am honored to be bringing you a review of Reflections from Life: A Muslim’s Guide to Inspiration by Aisha Idris of The Bookish Nomad . It is her debut self-help book, and it is full of Islamic inspiration punctuated by real-life lessons taken from her personal experiences.

I was glad to receive a copy of the e-book to read and review; the book was just the perfect mix of spirituality, real life lessons, and personal development, all the things I am so interested in these days!

The author recommends not diving head first into this book over one session but rather spreading out the reading of it. After having read it myself – admittedly, quite quickly – I can understand why. Reflections from Life is packed full of good advice and life lessons and they’re the type that lend well to further introspection.

Despite having read this book fast in order to be able to get my review up, I’ve already decided to give it a reread in order to let myself appreciate it as a whole better – which should clue in…

We all have goals to attain and as simple as it is to set goals, it isn’t easy when it comes to achieving those goals. Not until you are determined and hardworking. Even when you are persistent there will be times when achieving every goal becomes stressful and disappointing. Hence it is necessary to make a breakdown of your goals.

Since it is still the second month of the year, you have time to make a plan but don’t delay it any further if you want to achieve your goals within this year.

Have you already set your goals?

I hope by now you have already set a list of goals that you want to attain in 2018. If not then I recommend that you set your goals as soon as possible before the start of March. Below is a picture of my vision board. You can follow this method.

Or you can follow some of these examples.

Breakdown your goals

Once of you have set your goals, the next step is to break them down into short headings. You can see my example. Since these are simpler goals so I have just written a line or two to describe how I am going to achieve them.

But for more complex goals you can make use of a flowchart diagram or bullet points to describe each step that you will have to work on in order to reach your goal.

Use a planner diary

I have emphasized on the use of planner diaries various times on my blog and on other websites. So instead of writing about it again I am sharing the links below.

Have a separate section in your diary or a spot on your wall where you write down your goals and achievements. This will help you keep a track and as the months pass you will know where you stand. Also getting to see that space get filled with the passage of time is motivating.

I pray that you achieve your goals for this year and may you attain success in this world and the Aakhirah.

Something I have been pondering on for days and thought it is time to voice it out. Unfortunately we live in a world where the outside matters more than the inside and this is the tragedy of living in a superficial world.

We are more concerned with how someone looks than what kind of a person they are. Self-care in this superficial worlds means that we look after physical needs thus forgetting to resolve our feelings and emotions. Our relationships are more about finding the benefits we could get than providing them with what they owe in a relationship. Marriages are based on looks and financial status rather than a person’s character and goodness. Family gatherings are about looking at our best than greeting each other with a clean heart. Even when it comes to hygiene we care about wearing clean clothes and lots of scents but forget to physically keep ourselves clean.

I call all this the tragedy of living in a superficial world and sometimes I feel tired of being a part of it. Sometimes I am tired of battling to stay true to who I am and becoming what others want to see in me. This is one of the reasons why my friend circle is small because I like to remain among people who are honest and loyal in their everyday dealings. I like staying among people who are my friends because of who I am as a person and not to fulfill their own motives. I admire friendships that comprise of meaningful conversations rather than only enjoying the glitter and glam of this world together. I prefer people who have guts to say whatever they don’t like about me.

Tell me what are your views about this world? Are you and I on the same page? Do you find yourself a loner when it comes to this superficial world?

Unsuccessful and happiness, can they exist together? If we are going to rely on the society for the answer it will be a ‘No.’ But let me tell you, never rely on the society to define your success and the terms and conditions of your happiness because people’s idea of success and happiness is built from their perspective and from what they have been blessed in the journey of life. So your and someone else’s blessings are never going to be exactly same, in fact at times they will be totally opposite so how can we follow a plan of success and happiness that everyone else is following.

You Define Your Own Happiness

The few months that I had spent working in an orphanage taught me that happiness is a choice. Their beaming faces showed me that if they can be happy without a proper family and without the many luxuries of life then I too can. It was that turning point in my life when I decided that I will make happiness my choice and not some state that can be only achieved when I achieve a certain criteria in my life. That was the day I redefined happiness for my sake. For me happiness was then about being able to spend a quality time with my parents, getting to work in the field I was passionate about and was able to submit my university assignments in a timely manner. The criteria I had set were according to what I was doing then. Since I have graduated now, happiness for me is having a lot of free time on my hands so I get to focus on my hobbies. The money in my bank account is close to nothing right now but even then I am happy because for me money isn’t a criterion for my happiness. But let us just say that I do get a lot of money in my bank account, then that too will become a source for my happiness but not a source of sadness when it declines again. Putting it in a simpler way, our happiness depends on how grateful we are with what we already have and not what we are yet to have or desire to have.

Though I do agree that sometimes sadness or depressed feelings are inevitable since we are human beings and it is this sadness that helps us to think clearly at times. But your goal should always be to break this circle of depressive thoughts and focus on the blessings you have.

You Also Define Your Own Success

Just like happiness, success should also be defined by you only. The world will tell you that success is when you have a lot of money, when you are famous, or at a high position in your career or someone who is doing a lot in life. But I say that even a housewife who is happily cooking meals for her family, looking after her children and husband and is constantly trying hard to give comfort to others is success. A father, who may not be earning a lot of money, but each day he comes home and does things for his children and wife that brings a smile on their faces is once again success. Or let us take the example of a child who may not be able to do well at school but is a well-mannered child at home is yet again success. So you will never be unsuccessful if you define success for yourself.

You may be unsuccessful for the world but you can still be happy because it is you who should be defining your criteria for success and happiness. Hence unsuccessful and happiness can exist together.

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One of the key factors when it comes to developing your personality is to know your self-worth.

What is self-worth?

Sayeda Habib says in her book ‘Life Coaching For Muslims: Discover The Best In You!,’ “Self-worth is a value that is placed on a human life just by virtue of the fact that Allah created it. Self-worth is not about personal sense of entitlement; everyone is exactly equal in this regard.”

So basically, self-worth is to know that no matter what your financial status is, it doesn’t matter what is your skin colour, or to which part of the world you belong to, you are equally important because Allah created you and there is always a purpose in what He creates.

People’s opinion about you does no harm to your self-esteem

Some signs that you know your self-worth:

If you come across someone wealthy or with a good professional background you still expect to be respected.

Your failures or successes don’t define your worth.

You believe in the purpose of your existence.

People’s opinion about you does no harm to your self-esteem.

Even if your self-esteem is negatively affected sometimes, you make sure to work on it.

If your self-esteem becomes low you think that you deserve it and let it be

Some signs that you don’t know your self-worth

You let other people demean you.

Your opinion about yourself depends on what people think of you.

Your failures and successes define your self-worth.

People with higher financial or profession status can treat you as they want and you don’t find anything wrong about it.

If your self-esteem becomes low you think that you deserve it and let it be.

Tips to know your self-worth

Know that your status and rank in the sight of Allah is all what you need to be worried about

Understand that you were created by Allah and He created you because you were worthy to be in this world.

Think of the time when Muslims are performing pilgrimage, men despite of whatever background they come from they are all wearing two pieces of white unstitched cloth. This is the biggest example that we are all equal in the sight of Allah.

Know that your status and rank in the sight of Allah is all what you need to be worried about.

Know that your status and rank in the sight of Allah increases according to the number of good deeds you perform and not according to how much money you earn or how good looking you are.

Ponder about your blessings; Allah gave it all to you because He loves you more than your mother.

"Wealth and children are an adornment of this, world's life: but good deeds, the fruit whereof endures forever, are of far greater merit in thy Sustainer's sight, and a far better source of hope." Quran 18: 46